Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last week, the West has enacted broad economic sanctions against the nation. The ruble has lost 20 percent of its value against the dollar in a single night, and could fall even further if sanctions are not stopped. The consequences of the sanctions on Russian society are likely to be far reaching and will impact every part of the Russian society.
US President Joe Biden stated at a press conference last Thursday that the US would impose strong sanctions on the Russian economy. Their space program will be degraded by it.
Economic sanctions are an ancient form of interstate arm twisting and have been used extensively throughout the 20th century by nations in an effort to elicit specific behaviors from their neighbors. 600 billion dollars worth of Russian assets is the target of this round. Russia has been cut off from the international payment system and its central banks have been frozen as a result. All vital components to Russia, including American computers, lasers, navigation and avionics, are imports from the West, and airports and seaports are now closed to Russian commercial travel.
Russia has retaliated against Western companies. The next round of 36 OneWeb internet satellites that were scheduled for liftoff in March were not launched on Wednesday. The UK government must sell its stake in OneWeb and the company must guarantee that its satellite constellation won't be used in a military capacity before the satellites will get into space. OneWeb hasn't responded publicly to the demands.
Russia's actions are an immediate danger to those living in Ukraine, but also pose a real threat to democracy throughout the world, according to a statement from the US Commerce Secretary.
NASA is optimistic that the sanctions will not affect collaborative space programs, like the running of the International Space Station.
The US and Russia have been working together on the International Space Station. The International Space Station would not exist if it weren't for Russia's collaboration. After the Space Shuttle retired in 2011, the only other way to get astronauts into space was through the use of Soyuz rockets. Six of the station's 16 modules were provided by Russia and eight by the US, with the rest sent up by Japan and the European Space Agency. Russia launched its largest component to date, the Nauka science module.
The Director General of Roscosmos, who is personally under sanctions due to the incident, voiced an alternative opinion in response to the news.
He pointedly asked if he wanted to manage the station himself.
The International Space Station will fall into the United States or Europe if there is no cooperation with us. Do you want to hurt them? The risks are yours because the ISS does not fly over Russia. Are you prepared for them?
The remark appears to be a reference to Russia's threat to not provide one of its ProgressMS cargo ships to assist in the space station's retirement at the end of the decade. On Saturday, all of the Russians working at Europe's Guiana Space Center were dismissed and the launches of the Soyuz-ST rocket were suspended because of the sanctions.
В ответ на санкции Евросоюза в отношении наших предприятий Роскосмос приостанавливает сотрудничество с европейскими партнерами по организации космических запусков с космодрома Куру и отзывает свой технический персонал, включая сводный стартовый расчёт, из Французской Гвианы. pic.twitter.com/w05KACb9nI
— РОГОЗИН (@Rogozin) February 26, 2022
Terry Virts, a former space station commander, told Time that he was not surprised by his previous behavior.
The American space agency and the Russian space agency are still negotiating a new crew exchange deal, which would see astronauts and cosmonauts sent to the International Space Station. Russia's obligations to the International Space Station are due to end in 2024, and before the invasion of the Ukraine, Russia was considering pulling out of the project.
The American side can't function without the electricity on the American side, and the Russian side can't function without the propulsion systems on the Russian side. You cannot do a conscious uncoupling.
NASA continues to work with all of its international partners, including the State Space Corporation, for the safe operations of the International Space Station, the agency said. There are no plans to change the agency's support for ongoing operations.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on the floor of the House of Commons that he was in favor of continuing artistic and scientific collaboration.
The public portal of Roscosmos was under cyber assault on Monday. Its organizers might think that this affects something. This only affects the timely awareness of space enthusiasts about the news from the Russian space agency, while assuring that the safety of the International Space Station was not at risk.
One can't say the phrase "public crisis" without Musk breaking through a wall like a mini-sub-slinging Kool-Aid man.
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 26, 2022
On February 25th, Musk offered to take over the space station if Russia refused. The space station is currently where it is thanks to regular deliveries of propellant reactant by the Russian space agency but should those shipments stop, the station will be unable to counter the planet's atmospheric drag and eventually fall to Earth. By taking over the delivery flights, the space agency could keep the International Space Station aloft without the need for a Falcon 9 to stand in for Russia. The engine attached to the uncrewed Cygnus supply ship that arrived on February 21st is powerful enough to give the International Space Station a boost and a reprieve.
Starlink service is now active in Ukraine. More terminals en route.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 26, 2022
The Starlink satellite constellation is being brought into play over the region. The Viasat service was knocked offline on Saturday after a suspected cyberattack, and Mykhailo Fedorov requested help from the satellite internet provider. Less than 48 hours later, Musk delivered more than a dozen Starlink receiver dishes to the minister.
More than 2,000 internet-beaming cubesats have been launched by Starlink, a fraction of the 40,000 the company plans to eventually launch. According to CNBC, the company has more than 145,000 active subscribers.
It would be foolish to predict how Russia's invasion will pan out, whether the imposed economic sanctions will bring a quick resolution to the conflict or slowly strangle a fading world power. We can anticipate the implications of these monetary decisions on space exploration in the future. We can take solace in knowing that life on the International Space Station continues.
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